eFax(R) Releases Findings From Healthcare IT Pulse Survey

LOS ANGELES, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/12/13 --
eFax®, the world's leading online fax service and a brand of j2 Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: JCOM), announced today the results of the company's inaugural Healthcare IT Pulse Survey. The survey of healthcare industry employees revealed valuable IT trends in the healthcare industry, including the fact that over a quarter of healthcare providers surveyed view online fax services as the most effective technology for helping with HIPAA compliance security.

Key findings unveiled major trends in the importance and relevance of fax, as well as the top security and compliance concerns faced by healthcare companies. Respondents also identified technology priorities for 2014, indicating strong adoption rates for mobile, even in a heavily compliance-driven industry.

Fax Continues to Rank as Favored Approach for Communication

61 percent of healthcare organizations surveyed cited fax as one of its top approaches to exchanging critical information with nonemployees, with 26 percent citing fax as the number 1 approach to exchanging critical information. Digital file transfer was ranked No. 1 by only six percent of respondents.

12 percent of healthcare organizations surveyed ranked email in their two least used methods of communication for exchanging critical information with nonemployees.

The Affordable Care Act Brings New Document Concerns to Healthcare ITChanges brought on by legislation such as the Affordable Care Act, including the new healthcare exchanges, often means a sudden influx of added paperwork for healthcare organizations. HIPAA non-compliance outranks document management and information security as the top concern.

54 percent of organizations surveyed cited HIPAA compliance as their top concern, even more important than document management, organization and record keeping.

Security Remains a Major Concern -- and Online Fax Leads as Favored HIPAA SolutionWhen it comes to protecting the large amount of sensitive data that healthcare organizations generate and manage, there is a surprising motivating factor for keeping it all safe: money.

37 percent of healthcare organizations surveyed rank financial liability due to regulatory noncompliance as their biggest concern -- not identity theft or data privacy. These organizations know they face substantial financial penalties if they run afoul of HIPAA or other regulations.

42 percent of respondents said online fax is the most effective technology solution for helping with HIPAA compliance security, and 37 percent see online fax as the most undervalued technology with respect to security and business needs.

Just 18 percent of respondents cited exposing sensitive data to the wrong eyes due to risks from emerging trends such as BYOD as their leading concern.

Mobility and HIPAA Compliance: More Compatible Than You'd ThinkDespite privacy and security concerns in the healthcare industry, the rise of a mobile workforce continues to grow, and technological advances are adapting to regulations faster than ever.

46 percent of respondents have already started rolling out company-sponsored tablets to employees.

14 percent plan to initiate a tablet program in 2014, and a further 16 percent plan to roll out tablet programs in the next three years.

2014 Outlook: Mobile Fax is Good MedicineWith healthcare company employees on the go, compliance is an ever-present concern.

44 percent of healthcare organizations surveyed said mobile fax (the ability to fax from a mobile device) will be important or very important to their organization in the coming year.

More than a quarter (27 percent) cited mobile solutions as their No. 1 technology priority for 2014.

"With new legislation in place, penalties are increasing for HIPAA noncompliance, and enforcement will be more aggressive than in the past." says Ross Leo, HIPAA compliance specialist and instructor at Training-HIPAA.net. "Regardless of cause, the high cost of violations will be a painful reality for healthcare concerns of all sizes, and even higher for avoidable violations. With an increasingly mobile workforce relying on tablets and mobile devices to stay connected, document management and compliance will be top priorities in 2014. Ensuring the security of sensitive information handled through these devices will be among the highest priorities."

"The Affordable Care Act is forcing healthcare providers to re-examine all of their processes for sensitive-document management, storage and transfer," said Rick Stevens, director of enterprise marketing for eFax. "This survey reveals that the healthcare industry continues to place its trust in hosted fax services."

Study Methodology: eFax Healthcare IT Pulse SurveyThis study was conducted by eFax during the period of November 1-30, 2013. eFax sent the online survey to more than 1,500 healthcare customers, which included hospitals, insurers, medical suppliers and physician/group organizations and enterprises. Company sizes ranged from under 5 employees, to over 500 employees -- the majority of respondents (58 percent) were from organizations with 100 employees or more. For more information on the survey and to see the raw data, click here: eFax Healthcare IT Pulse Survey

About eFax®eFax® is a brand and registered trademark of j2 Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: JCOM). eFax® offers a range of online fax plans perfectly suited for individuals and small businesses at www.efax.com and SME and corporate/enterprise users at enterprise.efax.com.

About j2Global, Inc.(NASDAQ: JCOM) and its affiliates provide Internet services through their two divisions: Business Cloud Services and Digital Media. The Business Cloud Services Division offers Internet fax, virtual phone, hosted email, email marketing, online backup, unified communications and CRM solutions. It markets its services principally under the brand names eFax®, eVoice®, FuseMail®, Campaigner®, KeepItSafe® and Onebox® and operates a messaging network spanning 49 countries on six continents. The Digital Media Division consists of Ziff Davis Inc., which offers technology, gaming and lifestyle content through its digital properties which include PCMag.com, IGN.com, AskMen.com, Toolbox.com and others. Ziff Davis also operates NetShelter Powered by BuyerBase, an advanced digital ad targeting platform, and Ziff Davis B2B, a leading provider of research to enterprise buyers and leads to IT vendors. As of December 31, 2012, j2 had achieved 17 consecutive fiscal years of revenue growth. For more information about j2, please visit http://www.j2global.com.